Taking Chances
by CharYsaCor
Summary: [Modern AU] Jack and Elsa have been best friends since college. Elsa loves Jack, but Jack is engaged to Rapunzel. In one night, secrets are revealed and everything changes. After all, there's always a thin line between love and friendship. (Mainly Jelsa)
1. Chapter 1: All That Matters

_**Hello to everyone!**_

_**This is my first Jelsa fan-fiction. This story is an inspiration from the movie 'Something Borrowed'. Some events may be similar but I assure you that the majority of the events in the story will be coming from me.**_

_**I really do hope that you would enjoy this story! Don't be afraid to write a review, or to give it a favorite or a follow. Criticisms and compliments are welcomed.**_

_**12**__**/2014 - Heyyyy! So, I decided to rewrite all my chapters because I don't think it has balance and I still think it needs a tiny more little work. No major events will change at all. I'm just gonna spellcheck, rewrite grammatical errors, add some descriptions that lack, and making it a bit more specific. Anyways, Here's the rewrite of the first chapter! Enjoy!**_

_****DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, Frozen, Disney, Dreamworks or any other movie/characters that would be mentioned in this story.****_

* * *

_**Taking Chances**_

_**Chapter 1: All That Matters**_

"I can't believe this!"

Elsa frustratingly ran her hand through her messy platinum blonde locks, letting out a sigh of frustration for the work load of business proposals on her desk.

An outraged sort of aura emanates from the blonde's rare and unimaginable frustration. This kind of reaction was quite new and infrequent to the young lady of stoic and phlegmatic disposition, but Elsa couldn't help not to conceal this. She just seems so furious at the world right now, considering that out of all days that it could have occurred, her birthday just so happened to be it's present victim. The anger and frustration she was feeling at the moment could only be compared to a fire's autumn flame.

_I just can't believe that no one from my family or close friends remembered my birthday today, not to mention that its a Friday night and I have a mountain heap of papers to sign. I thought I was gonna enjoy today, turns out I won't. This is the worst birthday ever_., Elsa thought, a frown placed upon her lips. She took a sharp inhalation of breath before grabbing her trusty pen as her hand guided it to writing in her neat and cursive signature on the blank space of either agreements or rejections.

After a few minutes of signing papers, a soft and familiar childish knock was placed on her door. She snapped her head up to see her little sister, Anna, smiling and waving at her from the clear transparent glass of her office door. Elsa grinned widely as she stood up from the comfort of her soft swivel chair to let her sister into her office. "Hey, Anna!" Elsa greeted with a soft smile. "What brings you here?"

"Well, I just thought we could hang out because its a Friday night." Anna said, a mere sly grin plastered on her face. "I was just gonna head over to that new bar downtown with Kristoff. Wanna join us?"

Thinking over, Elsa was quite hesitant. If she were to drink, a hangover the next morning wasn't something she would want to undergo, and not to mention, the ton of work God knows when she would finish soon enough; then again, it is her birthday. Reflecting on it once more, the platinum blonde just decided to take the risk for at least once in her life. "Why not?" Elsa smiled, desperate to get out of her office and away from the stress that momentarily inhabits it. "I really need a good stress reliever."

"Then c'mon! Grab your coat and purse then let's head out!" Anna exclaimed before heading out of Elsa's office and sauntering to the elevator.

Watching the optimism her little sister would display more than often, Elsa couldn't help but giggle. She grabbed her maroon trench coat and white scarf on the coat hanger by the door and her black purse lying on her desk before locking her office and heading to the elevator with her sister. As soon as the elevator came, they immediately got in and pressed the ground floor button. Anna was tapping her foot and humming loudly to the tune of the elevator music as they waited for the elevator to stop, while Elsa was scrolling through her Facebook profile filled with numerous birthday greetings from her colleagues, college friends, high school friends, family friends and some relatives. The greetings gave a small smile on her face but it was never the same as the greetings that she receives from her closest friends. She then started searching the Facebook profiles of her sister and each of her closest friends.

_Anna Landvik... Merida DunBroch... Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III... Kristoff Bjorgman... Astrid Hofferson... Eugene Fitzherbert/Flynn Rider... Rapunzel Corona_

Elsa's lips stretched into a petite grin as she scanned through each of her friends' names. When she searched the next one, she absentmindedly broke into a huge grin as her heart uncontrollably beat in her chest.

_Jackson Overland Frost_

Jack Frost. Her best friend. The guy who's always been there for her. The one guy who knows her better than she does herself. And, the only guy that unconsciously stole and thawed the rest of her frozen heart. Although an unconditional affection grew for Jack, Elsa just wished that she possessed his heart in return. She softly sighed at the sight of his profile picture. It was of Jack, tightly wrapping his strong arms around her best friend/his girlfriend of 3 constant years, Rapunzel Corona. They both had huge and doting grins as they both faced the camera. Elsa took that photo; it was taken a few months ago on Anna's graduation party, right after the other guests left. As Elsa stared at the photo, a zealous sequester began between the two opposing halves of her mind. One half told her that she would never measure to Rapunzel, while the other half advised that she should've just taken the chance long before Jack and Rapunzel met. As always, Elsa listened to the first half. She knows that Jack chose Rapunzel for a reason, and those reasons weren't ones Elsa possessed. Rapunzel was bubbly, optimistic and everyone loved her, while Elsa was just... Elsa. The quiet and shy introvert that only a handful of people would talk to and/or appreciate. Elsa knew she wouldn't stand a chance. Even if she took the opportunity, she knew that Jack would never love her. Maybe that's why he chose her, they would completely fit together; he was a sneaky, mischievous and conniving spirit that had a big and loving heart. One of the abundant reasons that led Elsa to fall deeply and hopelessly in love with him. She took a deep breath, not knowing that her tear ducts betrayed her as a stray tear escape her eye.

"Els, you alright?" Anna asked, noticing the transparent drop escape her sister's sapphire eyes. She took a slight peak at Elsa's phone and immediately knew why her eye let a tear fall.

Elsa quickly wiped her tear-struck eyes and faced her younger sister's concerned gaze. "I'm fine, Anna." her voice cracking at each syllable that escaped her lips. "I was just thinking."

* * *

Anna's face dropped at the sound of Elsa's soft and jagged voice. Being the one person Elsa could lay her entire trust upon, she knew about her sister's unspoken love for her best friend. Most especially, the regret that has been haunting her ever since Jack and Rapunzel's relationship was acknowledged. However, Anna was proud that Elsa felt more of happiness towards their relationship rather than jealousy, because she knew that it would likely cause a void in their friendship or make events worse. Anna gave her a tiny lopsided smile before speaking up, "Please don't place a frown on that beautiful face of yours, Elsa. You should be happy! Its Friday! Also, its your birthday! Those two things just sound so perfect!" she said, attempting to lift the mood from it's dim origin to something a little more brighter.

Elsa giggled at Anna's mere endeavor to cheer her up a little. "Yes, Anna, I remember." she softly smiled. "Its just that I haven't heard anything from Jack in the last 2 weeks. I just miss hearing his voice and dare I say, his horrible snarky comments."

"Don't worry!" Anna reassured her with a slightly muffled voice, trying to stop herself from blurting out the surprise. "I'm sure he's just super busy. Its actually quite unexpected that you miss his comments even if you hate it every time he tries to tease you."

"Don't you ever dare tell him I said that. He'll just tease me more than enough." Elsa joked, rolling her eyes as an annoyed look stained her cerulean irises.

Anna laughed at Elsa's remark, knowing that Jack would definitely let Elsa suffer it greatly if she would ever speak to him about it. They conversed even more, asking each other about how their day went and informing one another on some worthless gossip or jokes that would eventually lead them laughing out loud. As an abrupt halt reverberated in the four compact walls of the elevator, the door opened for them to step out. After, Anna then lead her older sister to the car - with Kristoff patiently waiting in it - that would take them to the new bar downtown where Elsa's surprise birthday party was to be held. They got in the car and Kristoff started driving away from their family company headquarters, Arendelle Kingdom Industries, to the route downtown.

Elsa was completely and utterly unaware, that Anna, Jack and Rapunzel were planning a surprise birthday party for her two months before. They were also quite glad that their plan of keeping the party a secret was a success. Each phase was going according to plan. Phase 1: nobody from her close friends or Anna, for that matter, was to greet her a 'Happy Birthday!' so Elsa would think that her friends completely forgot about her birthday. Phase 2: print a lot of fake unsigned business proposals and to pile it all up on Elsa's desk, just to keep her busy until at least 8:00 - 9:00 pm. Finally, phase 3 was now in action: bring Elsa to the bar and have fun!

They arrived at their destination after a good 10 minute drive from uptown to downtown. Anna gave a mischievous smile at Kristoff, which he then returned with a sly grin. _I can't wait to see Elsa's face!_, Anna thought, mentally jumping up and down with excitement. They all went out - Kristoff rushing out of the car first to let everyone know that Elsa was coming. Anna then rushed to Elsa's side to make her slow down a little bit.

"Is Kristoff that desperate to drink?" Elsa joked, earning an eye roll from Anna. "I'm kidding."

"I know." Anna said, stifling a giggle to escape her lips. "Maybe he's saving a seat for us."

They laughed until they got in. "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELSA!" shouted everyone in the bar, jumping up from their hiding place as an array of shiny and colorful confetti floated from the loud party poppers. Taking in the scene before her, Elsa had a hand covering her mouth and her eyes widened in surprise. Rapunzel, Kristoff, Merida, Hiccup, Astrid and Eugene approached them with a huge grin on their faces.

* * *

Elsa stared at them in amazement, slight tears of joy in her eyes. "You guys remembered?"

"Of course, we did." Rapunzel said, smiling wide as she clutched onto both of Elsa's shoulders. "What kind of friends would we be if we forgot your birthday?"

"Well, the kind of best friend who wouldn't even take time to greet you after being gone for 2 months. Not to mention, never even hearing a single word from him in 2 weeks." Elsa accidentally blurted, looking down in sadness.

"I'm so sorry about that, El." a familiar husky baritone apologized from behind her and Anna.

Elsa looked back, shock and happiness written in her eyes as she saw Jack smiling at her. "Jack!" Elsa said, hugging him tightly with a wide grin. "How are you? I haven't heard from you in 2 weeks."

"I've been pretty busy lately." He sheepishly said, before a familiar devilish smile appeared on his lips as he let go of Elsa's warm hug. "Judging from the amount of fake business proposals I had to make and print out for you."

Elsa laughed, but it quickly died down in sudden realization. She then widened her eyes at his remark. "Those were fake?" her anger slightly fuming as her right eye twitched. "My hand throbbed at how much papers I signed. Whose fucking idea was that?"

All of them looked at her with wide eyes and slight fear. Elsa then took a look at their petrified stares before realizing that her fatigue must have corrupted her mind somehow.

"I'm sorry. The stress is just getting to my head." she breathed out, composing herself before speaking once more. "Okay. I forgive you guys, but please, if you seriously wanted to make fake business proposals, you could have at least tried to make the content a little more convincing."

All of them threw a fit of laughter at Elsa's remark. Elsa just rolled her eyes at how idiotic her friends are, but she loved them dearly either way. She still remembers how she met each one of them clear as day. Merida hit her on the head with a volleyball back in high school. Hiccup was introduced to her by Jack in college after playfully insulting him for being such a fishbone. Kristoff knew Anna back in middle school before they started dating in college. Astrid accidentally swung her baseball bat on her nose the summer after their college sophomore year. Eugene insulted her for being so cold towards him before Rapunzel broke the fight. Elsa met Rapunzel back in kindergarten after they had a paint war that Elsa started, and she met Jack in their business 101 class as college freshmen when he playfully teased her for being utterly prepared for class. All of them, excluding Jack and Kristoff, met her with a bad start but they eventually got together and became great friends afterwards.

They all kept on laughing as they headed to a table and ordered some shots before sharing some jokes, stories and gossip that just lead them with nothing but laughter echoing the room. Merida, Jack, Eugene, Rapunzel, and Anna were surprisingly sober, considering the amount of alcoholic drinks they consumed, while Elsa, Astrid, Hiccup and Kristoff were taking theirs slowly. After about an hour of playing a stupid and unclear game of truth or dare, the clock stroke 10:30. Taking that as their cue, Rapunzel and Anna got up from their seats. Rapunzel stepped up the platform in the front of the room, and Anna headed to the laptop by the DJ, as a clear white projector screen emerged from the ceiling just behind the golden blonde's head. On the screen, a slide show of pictures from Elsa's childhood to the present were showed. Rapunzel then tapped the mic and grabbed everyone's attention to stop what they were doing and to face her.

"Hello, everyone!" Rapunzel greeted with a smile as she spoke through the microphone. "I would like to make a toast to Elsa! First off, Happy 24th Birthday! You may be getting older, but you still look as young and beautiful as ever before. You're my best friend and the one person I know that would never let her friends down. On behalf of everyone in the room, I would like to thank you for everything that you've done for us." Everyone was clapping and cheering for Elsa, who bestowed them memories that would forever be kept in their hearts.

Elsa grinned at Rapunzel, smiling at her with eyes full of happiness and gratitude. "You know, Elsa. If I could list every single thing that you've done for me, the list would be endless and it would keep on going!" Elsa then giggled at how Rapunzel exaggerates extremely. Rapunzel then gestured to the screen that had a collage of pictures. "But, out of all the things I'd like to thank you for, I wanna thank you for these memories that have a special place in my heart."

The screen flashed a picture of Elsa and Rapunzel when they were at least 6 and a half, with a 4-year old Anna in between them. "First, I wanna thank you for the friendship you and Anna gave me when we were young. Even if we met at a rough start, I am eternally grateful for being there for me when no one else would." Rapunzel reminisced before gesturing Anna to flip to the next picture.

It then flashed to a picture of Elsa, Rapunzel, Merida and Eugene on their their first day as high school seniors. "For getting through the heaven and hell called high school. Although our heads were practically drowning in school work, we still stayed strong and managed to graduate with a bang!" Rapunzel smiled at her high school friends before looking back at the screen for the next photo.

The next photo was of the whole group - Elsa, Jack, Punzie, Anna, Kristoff, Hiccup, Eugene, Astrid and Merida - on their summer road trip last year. "Of course, I wanna thank you for bringing us all together. Our friendship would never have existed if it weren't for you, Elsa." Her friends cheered for her and she grinned at them, the corner of her eyes brimming with happy tears.

Anna then changed the picture and it showed a photo of Elsa, Jack, Anna and Punzie after Elsa and Jack graduated from Silver Winters University. They both graduated with honors in the business program: Elsa earned valedictorian and, thanks to Elsa, Jack landed salutatorian. "And, I wouldn't forget to thank you for introducing me to Jack. I wouldn't have met him and fallen in love with him 3 years ago if it weren't for you."

Elsa slightly twitched at Punzie's statement. Instead, she just smiled at Rapuzel and Jack. Except on the inside, she just wanted to let a tear fall. Elsa then caught Anna's glance of sympathy towards her. Elsa gave her a small smile before taking a deep breath and mentally reciting the mantra she would occasionally recite to control her burst of emotions _'Conceal it. Don't feel it. Don't let it show.' _She repeated it twice before giving a huge grin back at Rapunzel, gesturing her to continue her speech.

Rapunzel smiled and continued. "Thank you, Elsa. For everything." she then looked at Elsa before turning to look at Jack as if she was waiting for his consent concerning something. Jack breathed out a silent chuckle before nodding. Rapunzel then widely smiled and took a deep breath before speaking. "Elsa, since you've been very supportive of me since day one. Would you mind if I asked you a favor?"

"I wouldn't mind at all." Elsa said with no hesitation. "What's the favor?"

Rapunzel couldn't help but break into a huge and elated grin before speaking in a mildly annoying high-pitched voice. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to be someone's maid of honor."

The crowd erupted into gasps as they looked at Elsa, her eyes widened. "Whose maid of honor?" Elsa asked, hoping that the answer wouldn't be what she thought it would be.

"MY MAID OF HONOR!" Rapunzel shrieked, excitement and enthusiasm lacing her voice. She then raised her left hand and indicated the diamond ring on her wedding finger. "I'M ENGAGED! JACK PROPOSED!"

All the girls in the room, excluding Anna, Merida and Astrid, shrieked with excitement in ear-deafening high-pitched voices. Instead, the 3 girls smiled widely at Rapunzel and Jack with support for the next stage they were taking their relationship to. Everyone then congratulated the couple; the both of them thanking everyone who congratulated them.

Elsa kept silent all throughout the exchange of congratulations. All the sound in the room was slowly fading, as the only sound Elsa could hear was her heart slightly shattering. Anna then rushed to her sister's side and whispered soothing and calming words to her as she hugged her from the side. Elsa took slow and steady breaths before reciting her mantra mentally. _'Get it together... Control it... Don't feel, don't feel... DON'T FEEL!'_ Elsa relaxingly yet fearfully breathed out, as she composed herself and smiled at an overjoyed Rapunzel.

"Of course." Elsa smiled at Rapunzel before slowly turning her gaze to Jack. "I'd love to."

Rapunzel got off the platform and pulled Elsa in a bone crushing hug. She winced in pain before seeing Jack silently laughing at her face in pain. Elsa glared at him after Rapunzel let go of the hug that hurt her slightly.

After an amount of celebratory drinks, most of them were practically drunk off their asses and were gonna have a pretty bad hangover in the morning. Most of the guests left, as well as the others. Astrid and Hiccup left after Astrid puked in the girl's bathroom; Eugene left when he knew that he was getting tipsy; Merida left when she started slurring about a crazy old woman who could do magic; and Anna and Kristoff left after Anna accidentally slipped on the floor and passed out of consciousness.

* * *

Elsa, Jack, Rapunzel and a few more guests were the only ones in the bar. Rapunzel was discussing the wedding with a few ladies, Elsa twirled her finger around the rim of her empty martini glass as her cheek rested on the palm of her hand, and Jack rested his elbows on his knees as he watched Elsa slowly encircle her manicured finger around the rim of the glass. Elsa snapped her head up and looked at him staring at her. He just gave her a smile, which she giggled and shook her head at before bringing her attention back to her glass.

Jack always found Elsa unique in her own complicated way. Primarily because of the fact that he doesn't deserve her. He never did because of his good for nothing cowardice. He loved Elsa more than anything in the entire world... but he didn't want to feel the rejection if she declines. So he moved on...but somehow one half of him says that he should confess to her.

_Elsa. Out of all the people in the world, you chose me to be your best friend. I don't deserve you. You're beautiful, talented, smart and unique. Your personality just takes- SHUT UP, JACK! You're engaged to Punzie. You chose her. Remember?, _He debated with his own thoughts. Jack watched Elsa once more until she stood up and excused herself for some fresh air. She put on her coat, wrapped her scarf around her neck, grabbed her purse and placed a 5 dollar bill in the tip jar before heading out of the bar. Jack then decided to follow her and catch up with her for a while.

"Punzie, I'll be heading to my apartment now. I'll see you tomorrow." He said to his fiancé before slipping on his jacket and giving her a quick goodbye kiss. **_(A/N: Just to clarify things. Jack and Rapunzel don't live with each other. Okay? Anyways, I'm sorry for the interruption. You may continue.)_**

"Alright, see ya tomorrow!" Rapunzel shouted after him as he headed out, following Elsa.

By the time he was out, Jack quickly spotted Elsa leaning on a lamp post with her eyes closed as she breath in the wintry autumn air. _'My, she looks absolutely breathtaking.'_ he thought, smiling at his best friend. _'Shut up, Jack!'_ he shook it off before deciding to scare her a bit. He creeped up beside her and quickly startled her. Making her slightly yelp before seeing a laughing Jack next to her. She then playfully slapped him on the arm before pulling out her tongue at him.

"Why so glum?" Jack asked her, his tone resembling a child's. "You're still mad at me. Aren't you?"

"Not necessarily." Elsa said, her eyes closed as she felt the tinge of the cold air. "I just don't like the fact that you didn't even bother to at least text me a friendly 'Hi!'."

"What can I do to make it up to you?" He said, determined to do anything just to make his best friend forgive him for not being a good friend.

"Nothing." she smiled, opening her eyes that had a glint of amusement. "You guys have done enough for me today."

Jack mildly whined at her stubbornness that only he knew about her. The _quiet, composed and queen-like_ Elsa was the exterior everyone else knew, but the _funny, whimsical and slightly mischievous_ Elsa was the interior that Elsa only allows her closest friends - mainly Anna or Jack - to know. Mostly, Jack. He just loves seeing her being herself and just letting it all go. The side he loved most about her, hides in walls that only Jack or Anna could cave.

"C'mon, El! There has to be at least something." he whined like a child beginning a tantrum. A malicious grin then appearing. "Don't make me bribe you."

"Bribe me with what?" Elsa raised her brow at him, a challenging tone lingering her voice. "You can't possibly bribe me with anything, because I won't accept."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Yeah." Elsa said, a hint of a testing look in her eyes. "And, there's nothing you can do about it."

Jack raised his brow at her and uttered a silent chuckle before speaking. "How about we catch up on things at my apartment with a few flutes of champagne? How's that sound?"

Elsa slightly tensed at knowing one of the things that Jack can bribe her with. Jack knew that Elsa loved talking with him through a few flutes of champagne in his or her apartment. "Champagne will get you nowhere." she pretended not to care, composing herself before turning her back and walking her way home.

Jack frustratingly ran a hand through his silvery white hair before running up to Elsa and grabbing her shoulder so she could come face to face with. "Fine, Ms. Sassy. Let's make it champagne, chocolate and strawberries."

Elsa smiled at the ground and silently giggled at how much Jack knew how to get through her. She looked at him with an impressed look glinting in her eyes. "You know me too well, Mr. Frost."

"That's because I'm your best friend, Ms. Landvik." he smiled at her, letting go of her shoulder and grinning at her victoriously. "I knew you couldn't resist me."

Elsa rolled her eyes at Jack's immorality. They then started to head to Jack's black Audi A6 while talking about some things that happened when Jack was on his 2-month business trip. They got in - Elsa in the passenger's seat while Jack took the driver's - and just listened and hummed to some different genres of music as Jack drove the 5-minute route to his apartment. They both made fun of each other as the other sang off-key to the high-note of the song. Jack loved doing this with Elsa. Just the two of them hanging out and making fun of each other is enough for them to have a good time. Elsa laughed as she made fun of the song playing on the radio. Jack smiled at the platinum blonde beside him for just being herself and letting go because of her broken down walls.

They got there and Jack was the first one who got out. He opened the car door for her as she got out and they got in his apartment with Jack's arm playfully draped on Elsa's shoulder. Jack took of his jacket and took Elsa's coat and scarf before placing it on the coat rack in the hall before following Elsa to the living room. Once there, she settled on the brown couch in the living room. Jack rushed to the kitchen and got back to where Elsa was. He was now holding a bottle of champagne, 2 champagne flutes, a bowl of strawberries and a smaller bowl of melted chocolate. He placed it on the coffee table as Elsa looked at him with a brow raised in suspicion.

"You planned this, didn't you?" Elsa said, pointing at the food on the coffee table in front of her.

"Of course I did." Jack responded with a smile as he popped the cork off the bottle and poured the golden liquid in the glass flutes. "I wanted to hang out with you just like old times."

Jack grabbed the two flutes and gave one to her. Elsa gingerly took it and sipped the liquid goodness; she smiled as the liquid ran down her throat. "Thanks. I miss doing this." she breathed out, grabbing a strawberry and dipping it in the bowl of rich and milky melted chocolate. "So, how did you propose to Punzie?"

"Really? You want to know?" Jack asked as he sipped his champagne, intrigued at Elsa's sudden interest in his engagement. Elsa nodded with a small smile on her face. "I proposed to her in the airport when I came home this morning. The weird part was a lot of people were watching."

Elsa stifled a laugh as she spoke, "Well, that was...romantic." she pursed her lips, trying to stifle the laughter she was holding in from bursting in front of his face.

Jack took a sip of his champagne as he silently chuckled at Elsa's struggle from holding in her laughter. "Still the same old Elsa."

"I'm sorry." she responded, taking deep breaths and composing herself. Elsa poured herself more champagne and sipping it before speaking, "She liked the attention and interaction with strangers, didn't she?"

"Yup." Jack nodded, gulping down the rest of the drink before pouring more in his flute. "Have you seen her ring?"

Elsa shook her head and gulped her drink in one sip before pouring more. Jack flipped out his phone, looked in the photo gallery and showed her his phone. She took it and widened her eyes at the diamond ring. "Holy moly! That's a diamond ring indeed." The ring had 3 diamonds on it, a 2 carat diamond in the middle and 1 carat diamonds on it's left and right, it was held by a silver-gold band. "Its beautiful. Where'd you get it?"

"I got it in a small family jewelry store in Paris." Jack said, remembering that he wanted to give his birthday present for Elsa. He took out a small box from his pockets and put it in her hands. "I got you a little something too. It reminded me of you when I saw it so I bought it for you as a birthday present."

Elsa opened the box and she gaped at the inside. It was a silver chain necklace that had a snowflake pendant. The snowflake was made of white lace which gave it a frosty effect. Jack helped her put it on and Elsa smiled at the pendant on her neck. "I love it. Thank you, Jack."

"Anything for my best friend." Jack smiled at her, pouring more champagne in his flute and raising his glass for a toast. Elsa clinked her glass with his and they simultaneously chugged down the bubbly golden liquid.

* * *

It was already 1:00 in the morning. A few lot of champagne bottles scattered all over the living room floor, the 2 bowls of strawberry on the coffee table were now empty and filled with strawberry stems instead of the actual fruit, the 2 smaller bowls of chocolate were now empty and cleaned of chocolate, varying sizes of chocolate drips were imprinted on the glass surface of the coffee table and their empty flutes of champagne were tipped over, letting tiny drops of champagne drip on the table. Jack and Elsa were practically drunk. Both friends were drunkenly laughing and discussing stupid and idiotic things for the last hour since midnight. The discussion was practically being casual until Elsa asked something that was completely out of question.

"Was Punzie your first love?" Elsa asked.

"I'd rather not." Jack slurred.

"C'mon!" Elsa whined, playfully slamming the couch's throw pillow on Jack's stomach. "You're hiding something that you don't want me to know about."

"Fine, Punzie was my first love." Jack said, trying to hide the deception in his statement.

Elsa crossed her arms like a stubborn child. "Liar!" she shrieked, seeing behind the fabrication of his words. "If you don't wanna tell the truth, I'll just have to get some clues out of you."

"Alright, I fell in love with someone else before I met Punzie." Jack confessed. He drunkenly laughed at his friend's enthusiasm. "If you want to know who, I'd like to see you try to fit the pieces together."

"Of course I can!" Elsa exclaimed. She then tapped her index finger on her chin, pondering on what to ask him first. "Do I know her?"

Jack nodded. "You know her too well. If I do say so myself."

Elsa pondered once more. "How long have you known her?"

"7 years."

"College freshman year, huh?" she spoke. "Smartness level?"

"The best in the entire class."

"How funny is she?"

"Absolutely hysterical."

Elsa huffed out a breath of thought before speaking. "Is she pretty?"

Jack raised his eyebrow at her. "Your opinion or my opinion?"

"Both."

"In your opinion, you might say she's that insecure girl that only a handful of people would appreciate," Jack said, his heart breaking of how unsure the mystery girl was of her own self. "But in my opinion, she's a beautiful goddess walking the face of the Earth."

Elsa smiled at Jack. Whoever that girl was, she was definitely lucky for having a guy like Jack love her even though she had insecurities. Elsa decided to stop asking questions, but her drunken state took over and blurted out the question dancing in her mind.

"Do you still love her?"

"In all honesty, I still do." Jack replied softly. His eyes turned to one with regret and sorrow. "I just didn't gain the guts to tell her because deep down I knew that I don't deserve her. Out of the guilt, I moved on and met Punzie. Though somehow, a part of me doesn't want to let her go and say that I love someone else."

She stared at Jack with sad eyes; she felt sorry for him. He didn't have the courage to confess his true feelings...just like herself. Elsa wanted to just stop with the questions and comfort him, but her drunk mind didn't let her do so. Instead, she blurted out, yet again, another question that might've hit the end of it.

"Who is she?"

Jack took a sharp breath and looked at her, his cheeks flushed with a taint of scarlet. "You really wanna know?"

Elsa slowly nodded, immediately regretting the gesture she just did. He took a deep breath and leant his lips closer to her ear to whisper mystery girl's identity. As soon as Elsa heard the name, she felt her heart stop then and there. _It was her._ Jack loved her...and he still does. Jack pulled away from her ear and looked down in shame. Jack couldn't help but to let a single tear fall from his eyes. _That's it._, he thought. _Our friendship will never be the same., _blaming himself for his stupidity and drunken demeanor.

He was about to leave and go up to his bedroom, when a couple of cold and frail arms grabbed him and wrapped their arms around his neck. Though, the next thing she did surprised him even more. _Elsa kissed him._ Jack was shocked at first, but then he relaxed and kissed back.

Elsa felt like she was on cloud nine at the moment. For her, no one could ruin this moment, but of course her mind debated on the situation as usual._Stop it, Elsa! Jack has Punzie. You don't deserve him!_, one half of Elsa's conscience was telling her. _This may be wrong, but somewhere along the lines, it all seems so right._, the other half debated. For once in the 7 years she's known Jack, Elsa finally listens to the second half. She pulls away, leans her lips near his ear and whispers the words she never thought she would say to him. _"I love you, Jack Frost."_

Jack tensed at the words the honey-coated voice whispered into his ear. That's all it took for Jack. Hearing those words come out of her lips was all it took for Jack to smash his cold lips into her small magenta ones, their lips fitting together like two puzzle pieces missing from each other in a long time. The environment and the debating voices in their heads were slowly fading as they only focused on each other. Sparks and fireworks could be felt even through the thick and intoxicated demeanor that masked the both of them. After a couple of minutes of breathless kissing, Jack moved from her lips down her neck as he peppered small kisses and nibbles on Elsa's porcelain skin.

Elsa's fingers intertwining with Jack's soft and silvery white hair as she moaned in pleasure at the kisses and nibbles he was giving her on her neck. She then pulled her body closer to his and wrapped her legs around his waist. She lightly nibbled at his ear and he supported her bottom as he carried her to his bedroom.

They then continued their heated make-out session. Elsa moaned in pleasure against his lips which made Jack smirk maliciously. Elsa teased him as she started unbuckling his pants and Jack was ripping open the buttons on her blouse. She slid off her blouse and slacks before slithering her hands under his t-shirt and throwing it to the nearest corner. As the both of them were left in their undergarments, things took a turn for drunk and unexpected intimacy. Nothing else mattered to them in that moment but each other.**_  
_**

* * *

**_Feels here, feels there and feels EVERYWHERE! I hope you guys like the Jelsa fluff I put in. Well, this was a long chapter. I didn't even think that I would write this much. 6k words. WOW! That's a lot of typing._**

**_By the way, if you guys want to suggest something, its A-okay. Suggestions are open and if your suggestion could fit the plot I planned out, I'll make it happen._**

**_Don't be afraid to write a review, or to give it a favorite or a follow. Criticisms and compliments are welcomed._**

**_So, I hope you liked it! Next chapter might come by on Monday or sometime next week. Thanks for reading!_**


	2. Chapter 2: The Morning After

_**Hi again!**_

_**I was certainly surprised at how many views, favorites, follows and reviews this story has gotten, and its only the FIRST chapter! Seriously, I was so shocked. I wanna thank you guys so much for taking time to read this. So, as a thank you present, I'm posting the second chapter. YAY!**_

_**Thank you so much! Don't be afraid to write a review, or to give it a favorite or a follow. Criticisms or compliments are welcomed.**_

_**Here's the second chapter, ENJOY!**_

_****DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, Frozen, Disney, Dreamworks or any other movie/characters that would be mentioned in this story.****_

* * *

_**Taking Chances**_

_**Chapter 2: The Morning After**_

It was a lovely Saturday morning. The birds were chirping their morning song, the tranquility of the morning atmosphere loosened the nerves, soft snores were escaping the lips of each person sleeping in due to the morning of the weekend, and the garish light from the blazing sun was slightly masked by the serenity of the white cotton-like clouds. Elsa and Jack were peacefully lying in bed, their limbs tangled all together as they held each other close under the soft cream-white comforter.

The sun light was seeping through the curtains of the bedroom window's transparent glass. The light hitting Elsa's gentle sleeping form, making her eyes flitter slightly open; her vision blurred. Tired from exhaustion, she decides to close her eyes to drift off to sleep once more as she cuddles the cold and robust being on her right. Realizing that the being wasn't an _it_ but a _who_, Elsa snapped her eyes open and sat up to see who the person was. She saw Jack, sleeping and softly snoring with strands of his hair covering his slumbered eyes. _He looks so peaceful._, she thought, smiling at the sight before her. Elsa snapped out of her trance before noticing that he was shirtless, and possibly naked under the covers; she then looked down at herself, quickly then covering her exposed chest with the blanket. The events of the previous night came crawling back to her. She shook her head and ran a flustered hand through her loose platinum blonde waves. _This can't be happening._, she thought, slightly hyperventilating at how foolish she was. Out of the shock of her actions, she screamed.

Jack snapped awake and he, unfortunately, fell out of the bed as he looked at the screaming Elsa. He quickly grabbed his pair of boxers that were conveniently lying on the floor and put it on before covering her mouth to stop her from screaming. After a few more seconds of Elsa's muffled screaming, she calmed down. Jack removed his hand off her small mouth. He breathed out a sigh of relief before a hard slap came across his face. Jack quickly brought his hand to the warm spot from the sudden slap. "Shit, Elsa!" he spat at her, rubbing his cheek and wincing in pain. "What the hell was that for?"

Elsa looked at him with anger. "That was for doing 'it' with me! "

"How is it my fault?" Jack asked, pointing at himself as his eyes widened in shock. "I specifically remember that you kissed me first!"

"Well, you - uh - um - you did - uh." she spoke at a loss of words. "You did something!"

Jack scoffed, finding amusement at how Elsa can't think of a good comeback. "Look, Elsa. I don't wanna fight you for something that we had no intention of doing." he reasoned with her, softening the tone of his voice. "We were both drunk. There's no one to blame but ourselves."

Elsa stared back at his icy, yet warm, blue eyes, exhaling a relaxed breath. She nodded, smiling at his perfectly sculpted features. Jack grinned at her before scanning her up and down and stifling a laugh. Elsa narrowed her eyes at him, confused at his sudden hilarity. She then looked down before flushing as bright as a tomato, realizing that they were practically bickering and she was fully naked with only Jack's soft blanket covering her.

She glared at him, breathing out a furious breath before speaking. "Can you please turn around so I can put on my clothes?"

Jack put a smug grin on his face. "You don't have to hide anything from me, Elsa."

Elsa's cheeks were, yet again, imprinted with scarlet. She then grabbed the pillow and threw it at Jack, hitting him square on the chest. "If you don't turn around, I'm gonna slap that grin off your face."

He tensed at her choice of words. Raising his hands in defeat and backing away, he spoke as he turned around. "Alright, alright. I was just kidding. No need to be feisty."

Elsa rolled her eyes at him before getting out of the bed, dragging the blanket with her. She didn't know why but she was wincing in pain as she walked. _What the hell did Jack do to me?_, she thought, silently wincing as she began collecting her clothes, shoes and lingerie that were sprawled all across the room's floor. She then collected all and started putting it on. After wearing her lingerie and slipping on her blouse, a voice echoed from downstairs.

"Jack?" Punzie's voice echoed throughout the apartment. "Are you awake?"

Jack and Elsa stopped in their tracks and stared at each other in fear. He grabbed a shirt and put it on before turning to look at Elsa, who was staring straight ahead and trembling in fright. Jack rushed to her and snapped her out of her petrified trance.

Elsa looked back at him, her breath coming out in jagged edges. Her lower lip trembling at the sound of Rapunzel going up the stairs. "If Punzie finds out, I'm dead."

Jack's heart beat quickened its pace as Punzie's footsteps were slowly trailing up the stairs. He looked at Elsa's panic-stricken eyes as he slowly rubbed her upper arms to calm her down. "Elsa I need you to calm down." Jack spoke in a gentle timbre. "Quickly, take your things and hide in the closet. I still need to talk to you, just go hide."

Elsa hastily nodded before collecting her belongings and slowly but quickly made her way to Jack's closet, silently grimacing at how sore her legs were so Jack wouldn't notice. Jack followed her waddling stance to the closet, closing the doors as soon as she got inside.

By the time Jack closed the doors to the closet, small translucent tears escaped Elsa's eyes. _I guess your friendship's down the drain, Elsa._, the opposing side of her mind apprised her. _Leave her be._, the other side defended her. Elsa didn't bring her attention to the debating thoughts in her head but instead, her notice was in the culpability clouding her heart. Her jagged and silent breath escaped her lips as her lower lip trembled and teardrops made their way down her pale cheeks, holding onto the snowflake pendant hanging on her neck.

* * *

As soon as the closet doors shut, Punzie slowly revealed herself as she opened the bedroom door. "Hey, Jack! Good morning!" she greeted, rushing to him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

Jack didn't give in and return the hug. He didn't know why but somehow, he now felt a little distant to Rapunzel's display of affection. _What the hell is wrong with you, Jack?_, half of his mind scolded him. Jack shook off the thought and forced his arms to wrap around Rapunzel.

After a couple of seconds, Punzie let go and grinned at him with a twinkle in her eyes. "Hey, there." she said, caressing his cheek and examining his eyes. A look of concern immediately marking her green ones. "Jack, you alright? You don't feel like yourself."

_'That's because he isn't himself. He just had sex with your best friend!'_ his thoughts answered Punzie's question. Jack then mentally scolded himself and shook it off before answering Punzie. "Yeah, I'm fine." He lied, trying not to sound deceptive. "Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Oh, okay." Punzie grinned with relief, believing his bluff. "So, I came by to bring you some breakfast."

He grinned at her with gratitude. "Thanks, Punz."

"Your welcome." she replied, a small smile playing on her lips. Her eyes widened in realization for something she wanted to ask him. "Oh, by the way, have you seen Elsa? I didn't see her leave last night and I wanted to dicuss with her some things. You know, a bride to maid of honor kind of thing."

Jack mentally tensed by the time Rapunzel said Elsa. He tried to open his mouth to speak but he couldn't mutter out the words. He was about to respond but, a soft and meek sniffle was coming from the closet. _Was Elsa crying?_, he thought, concern filling his heart. Jack was almost going to approach his modern armoire, but he snapped back into reality and muttered out a response. "Um..uh..yeah." he replied, telling half the truth. "I saw her leave. Maybe you can meet her later at her apartment."

"Alright." Rapunzel nodded as a sign of agreement. She then fished out her phone and scanned her eyes on the small screen before looking back up at him. "Anyways, I gotta go. I'm meeting some wedding planners for the big event! So, I guess I'll see you later."

Rapunzel placed a kiss on his cheek before heading out of his bedroom and apartment. Jack sighed at Rapunzel's statement. He was getting married soon. To Rapunzel, the girl he came to love for the past 3 years. He should be happy, but why was he disappointed? Was it because of Elsa? He didn't know. Has he fallen for his best friend? Elsa Landvik. The girl who knows more about him than he does himself, the one girl who's always got his back and the only girl he loved no matter what happens. Jack ran a frustrated hand through his mess of silver-white hair, confused between the 2 girls that now muddled his mind. _"I love you, Jack Frost."_ The exact words that never left his mind. Did Elsa mean what she said? Or, was it just the intoxication speaking? _Both of you were drunk. Of course she was kidding!_, thought the side of his mind that chose to move on. _She may have been intoxicated, but the sincere tonality in her voice says it all._, mused the other half that chose to stay and never let go.

"Shut up!" Jack muttered the angered words to himself, trying to focus on the situation at hand.

Before another thought was mentally told, Jack scurried over to the closet. The moment he opened the doors to the closet, his heart slightly fractured at the sight before him. A now fully-dressed Elsa had tears streaming down her face, eyes red-rimmed and cheeks stained with the salty liquid. She looked up at his perturbed eyes before taking a deep breath and slowly making her way out of the closet. By the time she got out, she slowly headed for the bedroom door, silently wincing in pain at the process. Before she could even go 3 feet closer to the door, a strong hand gripped her frail one and turned her around to face his blue eyes. Elsa turned her eyes away from his hard but gentle gaze, a tear coursing down her wet cheeks.

"Let me go, Jack." she gritted through her teeth, her voice hitching in her throat. Her tears not seeming to stop gushing out of her eyes.

Jack's heart, continually shattering at the vision of a sobbing Elsa. He softened his grip on her delicate hand as he wiped the tears with his thumb. "No." he sharply refused. "I still need to talk to you, Elsa." Jack reasoned out, looking into her tear-veiled eyes as he caressed her cheek.

Elsa took a deep and calm breath, finally giving in and relaxing to the warm but cold palm on her cheek. "There's nothing to talk about, Jack." she breathed out.

He stared at her sapphire eyes, disappointment and anxiety lingering his gaze. "Yes, there is, Elsa." he spoke in a firm and hard voice, then changing his tone to a concerned timbre. "You were sobbing and grimacing in pain. What's wrong?"

She looked down in shame, a couple of tears absconded from her glassy eyes as she released ragged breaths. Elsa kept silent. Somehow, she didn't want him to worry about her well-being. But Jack, being the stubborn one, insisted on knowing what was bothering her. He pleaded, but she still refused. This went on for a couple of minutes until Elsa, eventually, gave in to his constant pleas.

"Fine, I'll tell you." Elsa spat, slightly irritated. "Just stop with the pleas. Its kind of annoying."

Jack smirked, satisfied that Elsa was in annoyance rather than sorrow. "Whatever you say, m'lady."

Elsa rolled her eyes at his remark, silently chuckling in the process. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before explaining her situation. "First off, I'm in pain because of how sore I feel. My legs feel so sore, I can hardly walk. Seriously, what the hell did you to me?"

After hearing her rant, his lips pulled into a smug smirk. "I don't know what I did, but I take pride in that."

Elsa flushed bright red, glaring at the complacent look on his face. "God, Jack!" She whined, scrunching her face in annoyance. "Can you not be a pervert?"

Jack chuckled at Elsa's cheeks tinged with red. "I was kidding. For once, don't be so gullible."

"Whatever, Frost." Elsa said, collecting her belongings before grabbing the doorknob of Jack's bedroom so she could head out. "Anyways, I gotta go. Anna's probably worried about me."

"Wait, Elsa." Jack said, grabbing the hand resting on the brass knob. She turned her head to look at him, wondering what he stopped her for. "I still need to talk to you about...you know." he nervously uttered, referring to the occurrence that happened between them last night.

"Can we just forget that ever happened?" Elsa said blankly, her eyes drooping at her choice of words.

Jack stared deadpan at her, his heart clenching with devastation at her choice. "You do know that it's gonna be hard to forget about it that easily, Elsa."

She looked him dead in the eyes, sadness filling her stature. "I know, Jack. Its just that-" she pursed her lips, cutting off her own sentence to prevent tears to spill from her eyes. "Jack, please. I've had enough drama for today. Can we talk about this some other time?" Elsa reasoned out, a tear almost escaping.

"Of course." Jack softly smiled at her petite form. "How about tomorrow at 2? Wanna meet at our old meeting place by the park?"

Elsa breathed out a smile, reminiscing at the friendly memories that happened in that certain spot. "Sure. I'd love that." she grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Jack!"

She placed a kiss on his cheek before heading out of his bedroom and apartment. The soft and gentle kiss gave him a sudden memory of last night. The feeling of her lips on his gave him a cold sensation that warmed him up inside. He grinned at the thought, but it faded when he thought of his engagement to Punzie. Jack knew that what he was doing was wrong, but somewhere in between, was it right? He was never the kind of guy who would juggle 2 girls at the same time, but it bothers him that those two girls happen to have a significance to him. _Elsa and Punzie_. Jack didn't want to lose either of them for his stupid actions, because both girls were special to him. One held his heart, while the other held his friendship. Three years ago, he knew which belonged to who, but now, he wasn't so sure. He wanted to give his heart to Elsa, but Punzie held onto it...and she will forever if he doesn't make a choice. The thought of it all left him flustered. He was torn. _I'll find my answer soon._, he thought, determined to fit all the missing pieces to the situation before the wedding. _Everything will come together. I know it._

* * *

Elsa got out of Jack's apartment and hailed a cab. Several ones just passed by, one even splashing her legs with the cold and murky canal water. _Great_., her thoughts ranted, sarcasm lacing. _Its not like my legs deserve another punishment than it already is._ She sighed in frustration for the horrible things that just keep coming her direction. A fluke came her way when a cab stopped in front of her. She smiled in victory as she opened the yellow door and slid into the cab's leather seats.

"Headin' where, lassie?" said the cab driver with a thick Scottish accent.

Elsa told him her address, and they then drove off through the slightly bustled streets of New York City. As she waited for the cab to arrive to her apartment tower, she fished out her phone from her purse and scanned to see if she had any text messages or missed calls, especially from Anna. Luckily, there were none. Elsa put her phone back and slumped in her seat as she closed her eyes, letting out an exhausted breath.

As she relaxed on the vehicle's leather seats, everything from last night flooded her mind. The feeling of her body pressed against his was stuck to her mind, like a permanently glued sticker. The thought of it made her smile. Everything she wanted happened in one night, but everything she dreaded to happen haunted her on the same night. _Rapunzel's not gonna be happy about this._, the negated side of her thoughts reminded her. _If Elsa and Jack keep quiet about the whole thing, everything will be alright_., defended the opposed side. The second half was right though, but she didn't want to hurt Punzie's feelings at the same time. _Why can't my life be normal?_, she thought to herself, sighing in disappointment. She thought about last night once more. The both of them confessed everything that they've wanted to say to each other. _She loves him_ and _He loves her_. Every word he said about her was still imprinted on her brain. To him, she was beautiful, smart, and funny. Elsa smiled at this, but was Jack sincere? She didn't know, but she hoped he was. _I guess I'll find out tomorrow._, sighed her thoughts.

The cab stopped in front of a tall and modern tower. Her apartment building. She took out the needed money on the meter and gave it to the cabbie before thanking him and getting out of the yellow vehicle. Elsa got in the building and greeted her doorman, Kai, before getting into the elevator and pressing her floor number. As she waited, she hoped that Anna wasn't awake. Even if Elsa was the older sister, sometimes Anna acted more mature in dire situations. The elevator stopped on her floor and she got out before approaching her apartment door, five doors away from the elevator on the right. Elsa grabbed her key and inserted it into the silver door knob. When it opened, she quietly and hastily strode through her apartment going to the stairs to head to her bedroom. As her foot stepped on the first stair, someone behind her cleared their throat. Elsa innocently looked at her sister's narrowed eyes as Elsa uttered a benign smile.

Anna looked at her, a blank expression filling her stare. "Nice to see you home, Elsa."

"Nice to see you too, Anna." Elsa smiled, trying to play the innocent one. "So, I'll just be upstairs if you need me."

Elsa was rushing upstairs so Anna won't suspect anything, but she was stopped once more. "Wait, Elsa." Anna discontinued her sister's movements, suspicious of what Elsa was hiding. "Tell me. Why weren't you in your bedroom this morning?"

Elsa kept silent, not knowing how to answer her sister's question. She didn't know what to say. She was at a loss for words. If Elsa mutters the wrong words, Anna'll suspect something. What is she supposed to respond?

Elsa was about to speak, but Anna cut her off. "Fine." she insisted. "Can you at least tell me where you got that hickey?" Anna smirked, having an inkling on where Elsa was.

As soon as Elsa heard her question, she immediately touched her neck and widened her eyes in horror. Her heart thumped in her chest, fear wrapping around it. She swallowed her voice that was stuck in her throat before uttering an answer. "Uh, um, I, its n-none of y-your b-bu-business, Anna." Elsa stuttered, fear lacing her words.

* * *

Anna pursed her lips and raised a brow at her, being adamant to Elsa's statement. "You hooked up with someone, didn't you?" she said, her expression becoming surprised and elated.

"You have no proof." Elsa said, crossing her arms and raising her chin in pride.

Anna scoffed at Elsa's understatement. "Oh, I don't have proof?" she asked, a triumphant glint in her eye. Elsa nodded. "Well, you're proof. That hickey's proof, and you were practically silently whimpering in pain when you came in."

Elsa blushed a tint of crimson. Her blue eyes widened and she then saunters to her room, shutting her door with a bang and locking it. Anna prances up the stairs with a victorious smile on her face, stopping in front of Elsa's blue and white door. "So you did sleep with someone?" Anna asked innocently, trying to confirm if it was true.

"Oh, shut up, Anna!" Elsa shouted, screaming in frustration right after. Anna chuckled at her sister's vexation, but she grew more curious to where her sister was and who she, supposedly, slept with. She sat on the floor and pondered, until her phone vibrated in her left pocket. She pulled it out to see that Punzie texted her. She opened her inbox and read it.

_From: Punzie_

_Hey, Anna!_

_So, could you and Elsa come by my house l8r?_

_I need 2 talk 2 my bridesmaids and maid of honor 4 the wedding._

_Yeah, so, see ya later!_

Anna quickly replied, a small smile playing on her lips. Jack and Rapunzel were getting married soon. She was proud of them, but she also felt sorry for Elsa; especially the shock and heartbroken mien she displayed when Rapunzel asked her to be her maid of honor. _She should have just confessed sooner._, she thought, a timbre of contrite present in her eyes. Anna then thought over the things that Elsa went through at the party last night. She then felt stupid for bombarding Elsa with questions, because she had an amount of things that happened on her hands at the party.

Anna smiled, having the perfect idea for Elsa to loosen her nerves. She stood up and knocked on the winter-themed door of Elsa's bedroom. There wasn't an answer but she still spoke. "Elsa? I'm sorry. " Anna asked, a guilty tone dawdling her voice. "You know, there might be snowfall tomorrow. You can't resist that."

Anna took a deep breath before speaking the sentence that's all-to-familiar to her. "Do you want to build a snowman?"

She waited for her sister to respond but nothing came. Anna was about to leave, but the door opened with a widely grinning Elsa. Anna hugged her sister and apologized as Elsa did the same and forgave her.

Anna thought her sister felt better, but what she didn't know was that Elsa still had a problem on her hands. A problem that will soon be all clear to her...or even to everyone.

* * *

_**There was a small SPOILER ALERT there. You will know what it means as the story goes on though. So, I'm sorry if this was a short-ish chapter and that it only had a tinge of Jelsa fluff. But, I promise that the next chapter will be an explosion of feels because its Jack and Elsa's 'date' at the park. So look out for the next chapter that's coming soon.**_

_**By the way, I'm sorry if this chapter was slightly confusing for you guys. I'll make it up for the next chapter.**_

**_If you guys want to suggest something, its A-okay. Suggestions are open and if your suggestion could fit the plot I planned out, I'll make it happen._**

**_Don't be afraid to write a review, or to give it a favorite or a follow. Criticisms and compliments are welcomed._**

**_ Sooooo, I hope you guys liked it! Chapter 3 will, hopefully, be posted on the weekend or earlier. Thank you again!_**


	3. Chapter 3: Past Reveries

_**Hi, again!**_

_**First off, I am so sorry for making mistaken updates and taking too long to update this. Writer's block and back-to-school stuff were the problems. So, I'm sorry again, and here's the chapter 3 that I promised before. **_

_**Second, I love you guys so much, right now! The amount of views, follows, favorites, and reviews this story has gotten in 2 chapters left me awestruck! Thank you so much! The flattering reviews just makes me want to write more. So, if you keep surprising me like that, I'll definitely write more and make the Jelsa fluff...FLUFFIER!**_

_**By the way, if you could spread this story, it will be widely appreciated. **__**Don't be afraid to write a review, or to give it a favorite or a follow. Criticisms and compliments are welcomed.**_

_** Anyway, here's the promised chapter 3, ENJOY!**_

_****DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, Frozen, Disney, Dreamworks or any other movie/characters that would be mentioned in this story.****_

* * *

_**Taking Chances**_

_**Chapter 3: My Past Reveries**_

The previous day just came and go. It was now a wintry Sunday morning. The atmosphere outside became more frigid as a blanket of fresh powder snow covered the ground, and snowflakes, varying in different sizes and intricate designs, slowly fell from the sky. Elsa and Anna were seated on their soft scarlet couch as they sipped the warmth of their hot chocolate with mini marshmallows as they relaxed in front of the toasty crackling fire, after a fun morning of snowball fights and building cute little snowmen. Even though Elsa is still troubled about the thought of her and Jack, the serenity and relaxation she felt during the ambience of the winter helped mask it slightly.

"So, Anna. How's everything with Kristoff?" Elsa asked, engaging a conversation with her sister.

Anna's eyes suddenly lit up at the name of her boyfriend. "Everything's great. It's better than what happened with Hans."

Elsa cringed at the name, that she found similarities with the devil. Hans was a nuisance to the two siblings, for he cheated and almost raped Anna when they were dating and he almost created a rift in-between Jack and Elsa's friendship due to trickery, but the sisters were glad that they were rid of him in their lives. Elsa then smiled at Anna's jolly contentment. "That's good. I'm just glad you're happy."

Anna gave her a small grin in reply before chewing the mini marshmallows that were drenched in the warm and chocolatey liquid. She exhaled a relaxed breath of satisfaction as she snuggled the woolly blanket closer to her negligible shivering stature. Elsa did the same, putting her feet up on the comfy couch as she nestled the soft white throw pillow enclosed in her arms. The zephyr of the fresh winter air and the stream of the heater's fervor, combined well to create a loose and serene mood that helped Elsa lessen the tense sensation filling her troubled emotions. She was still quite culpable from the thought of her and Jack's drunken intercourse, and Elsa was still doubtful about the words exchanged beforehand. Elsa worried about it incredibly, but she knew everything might come to senses when she meets with Jack at their favorite park later on.

* * *

Jack, Hiccup, Kristoff and Eugene were just doing their lazy day guy-bonding routine: playing video games, watching some classic action movies, and eating junk food in the media room at Jack's apartment. They were all having fun but, Jack's mind seemed to drift off. His eyes were focused on the game as he played, but his inner concentration was somewhere else. He was still quite flustered about the events that night on Elsa's birthday, and his friends seemed to notice his peculiar conduct. The three exchanged looks before shrugging off the thought and focusing back to the current game they were playing. They just left it at that, but Kristoff seemed to be curious on Jack's weird behavior, and he, somehow, had a very vague inkling on what bothered Jack. Kristoff just temporarily shook it off, focusing back on his game avatar that seemed to be on the brink of losing. The three rid themselves of Jack's uncanny comportment, that is until an unorthodox occurrence brought them to further suspicion.

It happened so quickly. Jack and Eugene were playing a friendly two-player battle on Tekken, and as the battle ended, the three friends were quite astonished that Eugene beat Jack; which never happened before. They watched him slowly drop the controller on the carpet floor before excusing himself to the bathroom. After Jack left the room and closed the door, the three boys, left in the room, exchanged looks and started some apprehensive murmuring.

Eugene was the first one to speak up. "What the hell is going on with Jack?"

Hiccup shrugged, brows furrowed in confusion and curious premonition. "He's been acting weird since yesterday, actually. I wanted to ask what was going on with him, but I doubt he'll answer me."

After Hiccup's statement, a ring from the media room phone cut through their solicitous and qualm conversation about their agitated friend. The three of them stared at it before Kristoff stood up and grabbed the phone that emitted resonant tolls, pressing the speaker button right after.

"Hey, Jack." said a calm voice on the other end. They recognized the kind vocal to belong to their altruistic friend Elsa.

"Um... Uhhh..." Eugene spoke, finding the words to reciprocate. He then looked to Hiccup, gesturing him to give a response to Elsa. Hiccup looked at him, eyes widened in incredulity; shaking his head 'no'.

Kristoff sighed in defeat before answering the voice of his girlfriend's sister. "Uh. Hey, Elsa! Its me, Kristoff. Jack's in the bathroom right now."

"Oh, okay. Would you mind if I wait for him to answer the phone?" Elsa asked, a tinge of chagrin in her voice.

"No, not at all." Kristoff responded, slightly stuttering out the words in the process. By the time he said his dicey response, he was appeased to see Jack walking back in the room.

"Who's that?" Jack mouthed, suspecting who was speaking on the phone.

"Elsa." Kristoff replied, turning off the speaker before handing the phone to a wide-eyed Jack.

Jack shakily accepted the phone from Kristoff's grasp. "Thanks. Just excuse me for a minute." he muttered, leaving the room to go talk with his best friend.

As soon as the white Scandinavian door to the media room shut, Kristoff, Hiccup and Eugene exchanged some bewildered glances to themselves and the door. Hiccup and Eugene just shook it off and put in the game of Call of Duty, but Kristoff was somehow still disturbed about Jack. _Was it because of Elsa?_, he thought, theorizing that something happened between Jack and Elsa that concerned Jack's behavior. Kristoff was indeed familiar with the idea of Jack having feelings of endearment for Elsa. He was enlightened of it when Jack told him 2 years ago during a secret-for-a-secret game of arm wrestling. Kristoff was truly stunned about what Jack disseminated to him; not only for the cause of sudden flummox, but for Anna told him that Elsa had a fellow feeling of infatuation as well. He wanted to apprise Elsa or Jack about the hidden affection they had for each other, but he feared what would supervene. He couldn't even consult Anna about it! Kristoff was remorseful for detaining the secret away from his 2 best friends, and his girlfriend, but he also felt sympathy towards Jack and Elsa for they may never perceive about the bona fide ardor for one another. Kristoff huffed out a sigh of contrition as he thought about the unknown and mutual yearning that bloomed in the hearts of his two friends, and the wedding that would take place between Jack and Punzie. He could feel his heart clench in torment at those reveries that anguished him ever since the engagement was announced. Shaking off the nevermore fading cogitations that pranced the most of his mind, he turned back to Hiccup and Eugene bickering about the similar avatar they wanted to play with. He chuckled at his friends' antics, obscuring the thought of Jack and Elsa at a minimal rate.

* * *

As Jack secured the bright white-hued media room door shut and headed down to his home office, the black phone, clutched in the clasp of his quivering hands, was pressed to his ear. "Hello? Elsa, this is Jack." he spoke, a small smile breaking upon the frowning state of his lips as he sat on his comfy office swivel chair.

"Oh. Hey, Jack!" Elsa's voice sprightly rung from the other side of the phone, making Jack's heart pulsate continously upon hearing the sweet and tender resonance that laced Elsa's voice. _What is happening to me?_, he pondered, perplexed at the mixture of emotions that he felt after that night forward. _Has one night changed my perspective on my engagement to Rapunzel?_, he contemplated once more. Jack sighed and looked ahead, seeing his old dark brown Business 101 textbook neatly squeezed into his tall antique oak bookcase. He narrowed his dark cerulean eyes as he stared at the book's spine that displayed it's title in bold capitalized golden letters, a flashback emanating from the deep depths of his memories.

_It was the first day of his college freshman year. Jack was nervous, yet very elated to be here. He can't wait for the exhilarating events that happen as a college student, and the new friends he would likely make in his 4 years in the campus of the university. After all, Silver Winters University was one of the most prestige schools in America and he was quite proud of himself for getting accepted, though he had a reputation of being a nuisance in his whole 4 years of high school. He was just glad that he made it through and got into a quality university with Business Management as his major._

_Classes were starting in at least 10 minutes. Jack took a deep breath before entering the two smooth black wooden doors to his Business 101 class. As he stepped in, the classroom was packed with business majors. Jack scanned the room to look for an empty seat; he eventually found three vacant ones. There was one seat that was in the very front and it was situated in between a very stiff and strict-looking girl and a snot-nosed boy with big black framed glasses. Jack felt himself convulse at this option, moving on to the next one. The following seat was next to a wall on the right side of the room and a girl who wore very provocative clothing and had a very voluptuous amount of make-up upon her face. He widened his eyes in shock for the girl's flirtatious and seductive gesture to him. Jack quickly escorted his attention to the last seat option, desperate to get rid of the girl's coquettish gaze. The final seat alternative was in the middle and it had a perfect view of the classroom's whiteboard and projector screen and it was located in the middle column, but what caught his gaze was the flustered platinum blonde on the right of the seat._

_Jack absentmindedly pranced down the steps to the available seat. His lips curling to an amused smirk to what the platinum blonde was so timid about. She was arranging her textbook and five ballpoint pens to collocate on top of the table. He approached the seat before making a teasing comment on how much the girl was organized and overly requisite._

_"You don't happen to have like two extra pens, do you?" he smirked teasingly, slowly taking a seat on the chair to the left of the girl._

_"I do. Actually, I brought a bunch..." her voice trailed as she looked to her left, facing an entertained Jack._

_As she took a glance to face him, now noticing her appearance. Jack felt his heart stop at how exceptionally beautiful she was, with her platinum blonde locks braided and twisted to an elaborate bun, a loose white turtleneck sweater and denim skinny jeans hugged her slender form perfectly, her pale porcelain skin radiated in the sunlight that seeped through the faded cream-colored curtains, the small pair of pale pink lips that sit under her cute button nose, and her eyes were a gorgeously alluring shade of sapphire blue that could take your breath away. Jack mentally gasped at the pulchritude of the girl before him. She resembled a fallen angel from heaven, her exquisite beauty left him captivated. He mentally shook off his flabbergasted torpor and snapped back his focus to reality._

_She blinked at him before breathing out a laugh. "You're making fun of me."_

_Jack smiled at her as he fixed the chair he was sitting on, laying down his textbook and trapper notebook on the table. "Actually, I'm quite impressed." he said, looking back at the pestered girl. "I feel awfully insufficient though." said Jack, showing her the single pen he brought as he laid it next to his textbook._

_She breathed out a small fit of giggles before the professor came in. "Good morning, everyone. I am Professor Gru, and this is Business 101. Before we begin, I would like to lay down some ground rules..."_

_As the professor spoke, Jack watched the unknown named girl pull out her baby blue trapper notebook imprinted with white intricate snowflakes from her white and cyan-colored bag. She was hastily pulling her supplies out, making all her five organized pens on the desk fall one-by-one forward. The platinum blonde widened her eyes and pursed her lips, figuring out a way to retrieve her fallen pens without grabbing the professor's attention. She struggled going under the table without alerting the entire room of her endeavored restraints. By the time she was giving up on reclaiming her descended writing materials, a pen was slid to her from her left._

_She looked up to her left to meet Jack, her brows furrowed in confusion. "What about you?"_

_"That's okay. I'll just listen, besides you look like you need it more than I do." Jack whispered, a smile forming on his face._

_She remorsefully looked at him as she shook her head reticently in rejection to his kind offer. Jack quietly chuckled at her farouche refusal before speaking once more. "I insist." he spoke silently, picking up his pen and handing it to her._

_The girl hesitated at first, but she eventually gave in and slowly took the pen from his clutches as she mouthed a 'Thank you.'. Jack smiled at her before turning back to the professor who was explaining his classroom rules at posthaste. After a few seconds, he felt a small piece of paper being slid to him from his right. It read: 'Thanks, again. By the way, I'm Elsa. Elsa Landvik.'. After reading the short note, he looked up to Elsa, who was now copying the notes displayed on the whiteboard. She looked back at him, a grin slowly planting itself on her face._

_"I'm Jack. Jack Frost." he grinned at her, amused at how diffident and adorable Elsa was. He pulled out his hand for her to shake._

_ She took it and softly shook her cold hands in his. "Nice to meet you, Jack."_

_"And to you too, Elsa." he smiled, slowly letting go of her soft and frail hands._

_Elsa grinned at him before turning back her attention to the weirdly accented professor, writing down notes once again. Jack stared at her in gaiety before bringing his scrutiny to the bald-headed professor, the thought of Elsa still occupying the most of his mind._

Jack broke out of his dazed stupor when Elsa repeated a continuous series of questioning 'Hello's' and repetitive calls of his name. Jack shook off the sudden flashback before responding back to a patiently waiting Elsa on the end of the other line. "What? Oh. I'm sorry, Els. I've just been so distracted lately." he confessed, mentally sighing in aggravation.

Elsa breathed out a chuckle. "That's true. I had a similar feeling since I came home yesterday." she confessed, her tone suddenly dropping at her chosen words.

Jack was about to speak, until subtle reverbs of sniffles were articulating from the other end of the phone line. He felt himself shatter at hearing Elsa's peccant weeps, and how guilt-ridden she still felt about what happened between them that faithful night.

"Elsa, are you okay?" said Jack, feeling his chest seize in heartache, and his own eyes brim with the translucent liquid. "Please, Elsa. Don't put the blame on yourself."

He heard her take a deep, soothing breath. "I know, but I can't help it. If Punzie finds out..." she trailed, not wanting to verbalize the evocative thoughts in her head.

"She won't." he inspirited her, trying to reassure her that accusing herself was an irrational panacea. "Trust me, Elsa."

"Okay." she gave in, relaxing upon Jack's tranquilizing baritone. "The last thing I want to happen is to upset her, let alone, because of me."

"I know that, Elsa." Jack promptly spoke, standing up from his office swivel chair to pace around his home office. "Look, its almost 1:00. Can we continue this conversation when we meet later?"

"Of course." Elsa replied, her voice turning to a blare of relief. A crash from Elsa's side echoed from his end, cutting Jack from replying to her. "Anyways, I gotta go. Anna was pouring some hot chocolate in the kitchen, and she just kind of...tripped on her shoe laces. Not to mention, she broke two valuable coffee mugs."

Jack laughed at how innocently clumsy Anna is, and how Elsa has to endure it regularly. "That does sound like Anna, indeed."

Elsa giggled, knowing that Anna was a handful, but she loved her anyway. "She truly is. So, I guess I'll see you in a while. Later, Jack. Anna, what on earth-"

She hung up first, scolding her younger sister in the process. Jack moved the phone away from his ear, chuckling at the 2 sisters' crazy struggles and tomfoolery. Elsa and Anna always gave him something to laugh about, Anna's maladroit deportment and Elsa's solicitous chastise were a great combination for a comedic sight.

Laughing at the mental image of the siblings' antics, Jack hurried back to the media room. He opened the door, meeting Hiccup, Kristoff and Eugene quarreling over what game to play next. The three friends stopped their lively dispute to face a delightfully smirking Jack, leaning against the black door frame.

"Hey, Jack!" they chorused, awkwardly stuttering out the words in the approach.

Jack arched a brow at the shameful masks that wore itself on his friends' faces. He placed the phone in its rightful place, before speaking up. "So, I'm just gonna leave you guys here. I have somewhere to go. "

"Where you going?" Kristoff asked, the notion still existent in his musing.

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but he quickly shut it. He didn't want to tell the truth, and yet, lying wasn't one of his choices either. Instead, he replied with half the veracity and half the deception. "The park. A colleague of mine wanted to discuss some of the company's reports."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes at him, clearly bemused at Jack's affirmation. "Didn't you do that last week?"

Jack widened his eyes in accusation. "Hm?" he replied, quickly thinking of an adequate response. "Um...actually, those reports were unprecedented. This is about the annual end-of-the-year report."

"Alright. So, I guess, we'll see you later." Eugene nodded, followed by the other two, believing the tinge of fabrication in his words.

Jack bid them goodbye, before leaving the media room to divert his stance to his bedroom. He quickly shut his bedroom door, sliding down the wooden texture of it all. Jack huffed a moderate sigh, looking ahead to see his soft and tidy bed. A flash of images from that night, quickly flourishing through his head. _"I love you, Jack Frost." _the exact words that left Elsa's inebriate lips, and the same meticulous sentence that reverberated through his ears in the absolute juncture of the moment. _Was she profound of her love for you?_, his thoughts haunting his mental being anew, still processing if Elsa's words were wholehearted. He had no proposition if it was superficially plausible, or indeed wrong. It was a very specious moment, Jack was still lost. Suddenly, from the extent of his mind, memories and reveries invaded him, ones that held a dear remembrance to him, and ones that made his steady heartbeats quicken rapidly. Incertitude permeating each curve on his brain, for each impression that inundated him, mostly involved Elsa. All those recollection of memories and reminiscence that came back to him now, contained no one but her. Not the gang. Not his family. Not Punzie. Only Elsa. Jack was left still, the sound of his stable palpitating heartbeat was the only present sound to him at the moment, as a feeling of nostalgia came with recalling those unforgettable moments he shared with her.

* * *

Elsa was sweeping the shattered ceramic mug pieces into the old black dust pan clasped in her hands, a neutral expression entwining on her small pink lips. Anna was sitting on the bar stool by the kitchen, watching Elsa with eyes full of juvenile innocence and inane guilt. She never meant to break the two coffee mugs, for it held memories of their late mother and father when they hand-painted it with a young Elsa and Anna.

"I'm so sorry, Elsa!" Anna vociferously blurted, not being able to contain the apologizing words building up inside her. "I didn't mean it.

Elsa breathed out an entertained chuckle. Diverting her amused look to her younger sister, Elsa replied, "Its fine, Anna. You didn't do it allegedly, and neither it was your fault."

Anna stared at her, a guileless pout forming on her youthful face. "I'm just so sorry for breaking both. Those bared so much memories when we were younger."

"Anna, stop." said Elsa, pausing her sister's persistent rambling of linked apologies. "They're just mugs. Not people. Okay?"

Anna nodded, directing her gaze to her exuberantly smirking older sister. She arched a brow at Elsa, a teasing comment suddenly deriving from her head. "Could you stop smirking? That's one of the signs of spending too much time with Jack."

Elsa widened her eyes, mildly clueless of what her younger sister's assertion meant. "Excuse me?"

"What I meant was that, Jack's behavior is somehow influencing you. Which is awesome." Anna remarked, smiling widely in prominence. "You're finally learning to loosen up."

"Whatever you say, Anna." Elsa smiled, throwing the ceramic pieces into the silver trash bin. She tidied the broom and dust pan into the small storage cabinet, before grabbing a bowl of strawberries from the refrigerator. The fruits somewhat gave her another short memoir of her birthday night. _Would you stop thinking about him? Do you even truly love him?_, her debating thoughts coming back to accost her once again. _Of course, she loves him. As far as she could remember, Elsa never loved a man as much as she loves Jack.__,_ the eagerly in love thoughts confronted back. Elsa suddenly felt herself being attracted to the articulation from the second side of her mind, because it was genuine. She never had affections for a man that could equal to her infinite ardent vehemence for Jack. Ignoring the regularly deliberating cogitations in her head, she placed the small bowl of strawberries in front of Anna, as Elsa sat on the opposite bar stool.

"Ooo, strawberries!" Anna exclaimed, vigorously taking a handful of the red confection. She popped one in her mouth, before realizing something was lacking to the sweet plump fruit. "No chocolate?"

Elsa felt herself tense at perceiving the words 'chocolate' and 'strawberries' being said jointly. Coruscates of scenes that night came crawling back to her, a sentiment of longing meekly and surprisingly washing upon her. This caused small scintillates of past reveries to float unto her mind, each one leading her to grin widely in remembrance. She did wonder why each memory mainly concerned her and one particular person, Jack. Fading out Anna's voice, Elsa felt herself drift off to her memory of the past.

_Elsa was briskly walking through the mildly deserted campus to the library, fixing the contents of her bag and grabbing two cups of extra-caffeinated coffee as she went. The first semester exams were starting next week, and, as always, most of the students were becoming nocturnal for the night to cram and study the variety of lessons they've learned in the whole of the first semester. Each student, however, weren't too fond of the idea, for the stress and sleepless nights that come their way during exam week, but Elsa didn't seem quite flustered of the idea for she was somehow used to it, and she's been having early study sessions when she had the time. After a few more turns around campus, she eventually arrived in front of her destination. Heaving out a deep breath, she made her way up the cemented staircase to the building's entrance. By the time Elsa got in, she approached the circulation desk to ask for the books she reserved earlier last week._

_"Hello there, Elsa! Its nice to see you again. What can I help you with?" The young woman by the desk, Belle, greeted her with a warm and friendly smile._

_Elsa gave an amiable and cordial smile in return to the woman's greeting. "Hi, Belle! Nice to see you too. I was just wondering if I could grab the five books I reserved for next week's exams."_

_Belle furrowed her brown eyebrows, uncertainty etching her youthful beauty. "I thought you sent a friend up here to get them for you. Or, am I wrong?"_

_Elsa felt her own features mirror Belle's incertitude expression. A sudden hunch on the person's identity suddenly striking her mild perplexity. "Who may this person be?"_

_"I didn't ask for his name, but he had a head of silver-white hair and a pair of captivating blue eyes..." Belle daydreamed, staring off into the distance as she remembered his facial attributes._

_Elsa giggled at the young librarian's fantasizing, snapping her fingers in front of Belle's eyes to break her dazed oblivion. "Belle, snap out of it." _

_Continuously blinking away the illusory chimera from her hazel brown eyes, Belle anxiously looked back at Elsa's own charmed pair of sapphires. "I'm so sorry, Elsa. His eyes were just truly mesmerizing, similar to yours."_

_"Thank you, Belle." Elsa smiled at her, gratitude and adulation painting her eyes. Although amused at the brown-haired beauty's musing, Elsa couldn't help but to entirely agree with Belle. The first time she laid her eyes on him, her heart seized in persistent umpteen amounts of heartbeats for how devilishly handsome Jack was. His perfectly tousled head of silver-white hair, the roguish smirk that would play upon his thin lips, the conciliating timbre of his deep baritone, his frantic and jovial behavior would resemble a maturely adolescent child, and his own pair of enthralling dark cerulean eyes would lead you astray through one good look. When he spoke to her, she couldn't surmise why someone as good-looking as Jack would converse with someone like her. Though different, friendship made its way to these 2 winter-loving personas._

_Elsa gently smiled at the thought of her new-found friend, turning her notice back to the young librarian. "Anyways, do you happen to know where he may have gone after receiving the books?"_

_"Yes. He took the books with him, and approached one of the tables. His been there for the past one and a half hours to study for exam week." Belle explained to the platinum blonde, attending to a student who needed library guidance._

_Elsa was quite intrigued to hear that Jack has been here for almost the past 2 hours to study. Bidding the attending librarian goodbye, she made her way to the rows of tables situated near the columns of bookcases. She had no luck in finding him for the past 2 minutes, but familiar strands of white hair caught her attention in the slightly far end. Breathing out a sigh of solace, she approached the table being occupied by her mischievous friend. As her sight caught the scene before her, a tickled smirk lingered her lips. Jack was staring wide-eyed at the textbook before him as his laptop and trapper notebook rested on the table by his right, five opened textbooks scattered the mahogany table, and pens, pencils, and balls of crumpled paper littered the other open surfaces of the counter. Elsa quietly giggled at the sight of an academically anxious Jack, who was having troubles processing the contents of the textbooks._

_"Ahem." She cleared her throat, smirking at her flustered friend. "I see someone stole my reserved books."_

_Jack looked up at her, an errant smile replacing his worried manner. "Hey there, Elsa. Look, I'm so sorry for stealing your books.__"_

_Elsa playfully arched an eyebrow at him, still smirking at Jack's childlike countenance. "I forgive you, Jack. But, you should first explain to me why you pilfered my reserved books."_

_"Sure." Jack replied with an innocent smile. "I knew you would be here after class hours, and since you're the smartest in class, so I was wondering if you could tutor me for next week's exams." he said, looking down in embarrassment as he scratched the back of his neck._

_Elsa was left speechless. Jack took her books because he wanted her to be the one to tutor him for the first semester exams, and he was quite sheepish when she was asked. Charmed at Jack's boyish flare, she replied: "Sure, Jack. I'd love to tutor you."_

_Jack snapped his face to look at her, eyes as wide as saucers. "Really?"_

_Elsa nodded, stifling a laugh to escape her thin compact lips. After her meek nod, the next event took her by surprise. Jack stood up, rushed to her side, and wrapped his muscular arms around Elsa's lean body to enclose her in a warm bear hug. "Thank you, Elsie. You're the best!"_

_Elsa felt her heart palpitate at his words. Unbeknownst of what to do next, she just willingly wrung her arms around him as she breathed in the combination of mint and fresh winter that radiated from him. Deep down, she wanted to just freeze this moment and stay like this forever, or to put this day on replay and to just keep reliving it for eternity. _She didn't know it, but she was slowly and obliviously falling in love with him._ Not desiring to speak out another word, her mouth took over and reluctantly voiced out her thoughts. "No problem, Jack. Just remember that no matter what happens, I'll always be here for you."_

Elsa busted out of her past reverie when Anna slathered her left cheek with melted chocolate. Elsa blinked into her surroundings, before looking at her guiltily entertained younger sibling. "Anna! Why the hell did you do that?"

"I'm sorry." Anna apologized, playing with her fingers in puerile culpability. "You were staring out in the distance, then you sorta dozed off."

"I know. Memories from the past just keep clouding my mind." Elsa confessed, knowing that her sister would be the first person she would come to for help.

Anna stared into her sister's eyes, inspecting if she could read more from the depths of her older sister's irises. "Can you enlighten me?"

Elsa looked at Anna's intimidating yet soft stare, hesitating whether to open up to her or not. Though constantly debating with herself to choose, she eventually gave in and sighed in trounce. "Isn't it obvious?"

By hearing Elsa's assertion, Anna was under confusion. She pondered on the possibilities that could lead to her sister's vague deportment. On the brink of giving up on the guessing games, a name straightaway striking the back of her mind. "Jack?"

Elsa nodded, looking down at her anxiously fiddling fingers. "The engagement is still trying to be processed." Telling Anna half of what has been bothering her.

Elsa wanted to tell Anna about that night, but she knew her younger sister might not process that well enough. Though the desire to confess to her has been continually eating her up on the inside, she knew that Anna will have to find out sooner or later. But, that was the least of Elsa's worries for now. All her notice and attention was only able to muster what her and Jack's relationship meant right now. Were they to stay the best of friends where no such thing ever happened? Or, become one of those socially awkward acquaintances who hardly acknowledge each other's existence? Neither both did Elsa approve of. She wanted to solve this once and for all, yet she also didn't want to lose Jack. But, Elsa knew that sacrifices just had to be made to succeed victoriously. Perseverance rising within her, Elsa was determined to make everything clearer with Jack.

* * *

**_Sorry if this chapter was disappointing. :( The park 'date' will be in the next chapter. I just couldn't pile this and the park scene in one chapter, because when that 'date' starts, that's where all the real drama comes in. So, I'm very sorry if you were expecting it._**

**_First, I would like to say that 2,300 view, 24 reviews, 27 favorites, and 39 followers for 2 chapters in this story just leaves me with flattery and gratitude. Thank you so much!_**

**_Second, updates for this will be slow considering that high school and life has been making me pretty busy lately. I'm very sorry, but I will try my best to keep updating this no matter what because the upcoming chapters will be intense!_**

**_Anyways, I would just like to respond to one question that some readers wanted to know the answers to. Will Elsa become pregnant in the story?...Hmmm, I'm not so sure. I don't want to spoil!_**

**_By the way, if you guys want to suggest more stuff, its A-okay. Suggestions are open and if your suggestion could fit the plot I planned out, I'll make it happen. _****_Don't be afraid to write a review, or to give it a favorite or a follow. Criticisms and compliments are welcomed._**

**_If you're interested in reading more works from me, you can check out my other fanfic On Thin Ice, and my upcoming one shot too! _**

**_**_PLEASE REVIEW, FAVORITE &amp; FOLLOW!_**_**


	4. Chapter 4: Memories & Revelations (Pt1)

_**Hello to everyone!**_

_**First, I really want to apologize for false hopes and the mistaken updates. And, of course, taking SUPER TOO long to update; school's just cramming my writing schedule. I promise that I'll try not to make it happen again!**_

_**Second, Thank you for the wonderful suggestions! I wish I could use all of it in the park scene, but I couldn't. So, I just have to put the others throughout the story or I can alter it a little bit. Thanks again!**_

_**Third, I wanna say sorry if the words in this story is too deep for you. It's just the way I write, mostly if its a romance/drama genre or the chapter just happens to be very dramatic. So, I'm really sorry. (Though, I'd be willing to explain the meaning of the words if you'd like.)**_

_**Lastly, I'm just so flattered for the amounts of views, reviews, favorites and follows this story has gotten in THREE chapters! Thank you so much! It means a lot!**_

_**So, Don't be afraid to write a review, or to give it a favorite or a follow. Criticisms and compliments are welcomed.**_

_**Anyways, enjoy the long-awaited fluffy park 'date' chapter!**_

_****DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, Frozen, Disney, Dreamworks or any other movie/characters that would be mentioned in this story.****_

* * *

_**Taking Chances  
**_

_**Chapter 4: Memories and Revelations (Part 1)**_

It was now the afternoon on this wintry Sunday, and there were 3 days left until the awaited day of presents, saccharine and merry-making would come. The different Christmas relations that decorated the snow-covered city of New York was truly a remarkable and magnificent sight to behold. The thin miniscule twinkling bulbs of colorful light illuminated the streets, the sweetened smell of candy canes and fresh gingerbread lingered under the noses of each sweet-toothed child, beautiful snowflakes precipitated from the clouds to stay on one's nose and eyelashes, and sounds of the angelic voices of carolers singing joyous Christmas songs resonated throughout the frigid atmosphere. Elsa was peacefully sitting on a park bench, watching the jolly Christmas season circulate the Winter Solstice Sunday in New York City. She arrived in the park 30 minutes early, desperately nervous to have a normal heart-to-heart colloquy with Jack that pertain to that night and their amiss friendship. As Elsa waited for Jack to arrive, she busied herself by watching the children play around in the powder snow by conducting surprising snowball fights, stretching their tiny limbs to imprint small snow angels on the ground, and building cute little snowmen with top hats and carrot noses. The fun emanating from the children gave her an amiable grin, and a senseful tinge of youthful longing. After a couple of mere minutes reminiscing her childhood, a soft and cold entity unexpectedly came in contact with her right cheek.

Realizing that a stray snowball has been thrown to her face, Elsa's peripheral vision caught a glimpse of Jack constantly laughing at the surprisal of her snow-shrouded appearance. Wiping the cold matter from her pale face, a devious smirk lay on her lips. "Two can play it that game, Frost." Elsa whispered, scooping a huge amount of snow from the mound beside her and formed a moderately gigantic snowball.

She stood up and threw the cold ball of snow at Jack's stature of sustained amusement. It hit him straight in the face, making him lose his balance and to fall back on the pile of fresh powder snow behind him. Staring at the sight of a snow-engulfed Jack, Elsa couldn't help but to let out a loud and unmannered laugh. Covered in the frosty precipitation, Jack sat up with his arms crossed and a juvenile glare directed towards Elsa. As usual, Jack wasn't one who would give up after a fight. So, he took his revenge on the platinum blonde similarly: slinging an accurately colossal snowball straight at her, letting her receive the same circumstance he did. This was all it took for them to engage in a tenacious and invigorating snowball fight, that eventually drew a compact amount of comical attention. Between Elsa and Jack, these types of puerile incidents were very unique to their exceptional friendship. Their snowy dispute continued on for at least five minutes, having both of them to be inundated, head-to-toe, in white and flaky snow paraphernalia as they sat on the ground in a fit of inane laughter. With no knowledge of who the victor of their friendly snowball battle was, they started a friendly and cynical discord.

"I win, Landvik!" Jack pointed out, obviousness dripping from the use of his tone.

Elsa widened her eyes at his opinionated assertion. "Don't be daft, Frost! Its very obvious that I won."

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Their customary and childish satirical bicker started from there; one would speak out words of ridicule and mockery, while the other reciprocated a statement of more derision. These types of childish debates between them would occur very often, but a laugh would always be the end of it all. It was times like this wherein they could be the person they want to be, while every negative thought they had, would be pushed back into the depths of their minds.

Elsa, clearly amused and in a fit of pique, eventually gave in and laid a suggestion that he might agree to as well. "Let's just say that we both win. Deal?" she suggested, holding her hand out to him in truce.

"Deal." Jack said with his ever-famous smirk, taking her frail hands in his own. He let go, and made a teasing retort. "I'm still more awesome than you, though."

The platinum blonde scoffed, rolling her ocean eyes at his straightforward conjecture. "Whatever floats your boat, Jack."

He laughed, standing up from the blanket of powder snow before assisting Elsa up on her feet as well. Dusting away the glacial talc-like matter, Jack's incompetent feautures developed into a bit of a more pensive countenance. "So, Elsa... Since we're both here now, why don't we grab some hot cocoa and discuss everything?"

At hearing the stern tonality of Jack's voice, the apprehension and contemplation that Elsa suppressed during their snowball levity swiftly dominated her once more. Elsa wasn't always one to complain, but somehow she just wished that this day would just be filled with their friendship's frivolity to ease the tension. Knowing that the situation may not be as loose as she hoped it would be, she slowly huffed out a sigh before giving him a slightly fabricated and reassuring smile. "Sure."

* * *

Seeing through her desolate barrier, Jack lightly smiled at her as he arduously tried to uplift her spirits. They then begun their sluggish stroll towards the small coffee stand in the park, hardly uttering a single word to each other. This was an unusual take on the both of them, even for the peaceful and discreet Elsa, for they customarily spent their time together in very inane, turbulent, and jest manners. Not being able to take the paltry of staying in awkward silence any longer, a puerile scheme suddenly ignited from the ludicrous aspect of Jack's mind.

Taking the plan into action, Jack playfully tapped the shoulder of an uneasy Elsa. She looked up to witness Jack with an impish glint in his entrancing cerulean eyes. Elsa arched her brow at him, a roguish tone playing upon her words. "What are you scheming about this time?"

Jack shrugged, resembling a child's vagueness. "I don't know. Let's just say that I would like to race you. And, that whoever loses, buys the ever handsome and awesome victor's drink."

Elsa rolled her pair of sapphire eyes, mirthfully smiling at him being egotistical yet very charming at the least. "Are you implying that you'll win? Don't flatter yourself, Frost."

Ignoring her snide remark, Jack just ran away from her to the direction of the stand. Elsa contemptuously gawked at his speeding form, flabbergasted that he took the first sprint without her final consensus. Not coveting to be deprived of the opportunity to win their one-sided bet, she hastily scurried to catch up with her unjustified best friend. Elsa, abruptly scrambling, was eventually able to be in time for reaching Jack's equivalent running position. Jack was truly staggered to see Elsa darting to their destination beside him. He had to admit, Elsa was quite the fast runner; considering that she was an affiliate of the track team throughout their Junior year in college. As Jack hastened his speed, Elsa turned to him with a challenging and demoniac smirk playing on her thin magenta lips. This was the prospect of Elsa that he adored the most, with her just being herself. After a few more paces of hurtling towards the coffee stand alongside each other, the platinum blonde was the eventual winner.

Jack laid down on the snow-enshrouded grass, seizing his breath as he observed in gaiety at Elsa doing a farcical and mortifying victory dance, her paying no heed to the murmurs of jocular attention coming from the various passer-bys. He was chuckling at her, clearly entertained to see Elsa's barriers crumbling down to reveal her blithe yet euphoric façade from her stoic deportment. He smirked at her in a troublesome manner; being quite the mischievous individual, he would never let this one go undefeated. Jack sat up and slowly crawled to Elsa, taking her left wrist as he pulled her down next to him in the frost-veiled ground. Elsa's earlier triumphant euphoria quickly snapped as she lay down on the flaky surface next to her conniving best friend.

"Well played, Frost. I never saw that coming." Elsa divulged the truth as she turned to her head to the right to look at the pale-haired man, surprisingly amused that she didn't anticipate that motive at all.

Jack's lips curled up into a smirk as he turned to his left, coming face-to-face with the azure-eyed belle. "Told you I was awesome."

Elsa scoffed incredulously as she rolled her ludicrous eyes at his playfully conceited presumption. Having to know him for at least 7 years, she has surprisingly gotten quite accustomed to his egotistical surmises and maladroitly devilish comportment. "f that helps you sleep at night, be my guest."

"You've always been the expert with words, Elsa." He chuckled, sarcasm dripping from his words. Sensing the derision from the between candid and irony of his impulse, she, yet again, rolled her pair of sapphires as she laughed at his choice of words. Typical Jack. As Elsa lay on the winter enshrouded ground, she was about to utter another exuberant response until Jack sat up from next to her. "C'mon, Els. Let's get those drinks and start that talk."

Elsa pouted as she lethargically tugged on the sleeve of his navy blue coat, an infantile sort of innocence emanating from her. "No..." She trailed idly, an inane timbre lacing her voice. "Let's just stay here and talk for a little while longer. Lying in the snow helps the nerves ease up on me."

Jack breathed out a taciturn chuckle, his demeanor filling with contentment just by perceiving the sight of his best friend possessing a very adorable and immature semblance during a time wherein a supposed serious aura were to dominate over them. Instead of standing to force her up, he just shook his head in sustained entertainment as he laid back down on the soft yet sleet-like snowy ground. "As you wish, princess." He replied with a cheeky smile as he was situating his lying position on the wintry surface, earning a playful glare from Elsa for quoting one of her favorite classic novels, The Princess Bride. "But, I still owe you those drinks."

"Yeah. That's because _I_ won." Elsa said with a tinge of playful conceit in her tone, still haughtily trying to rub her victory in Jack's face.

Jack huffed in amused exasperation at hearing his best friend emphasize her repetitive reminders of narcissistic triumph. "Yeah, yeah. Don't need to rub it in, Els. I get it!"

"I know. I just wanted to hear you say that I'm right." Elsa smiled with her head held high, obviousness in her statement becoming very evident.

Jack just chuckled at her once more, but a look of seriousness veiled over him immediately after. He had to admit, being stern or serious just wasn't one of his usual fortes, but all he wanted was the answers to the questions rapidly and vaguely invading his every thought ever since that night...or the morning he woke up. Taking a deep and forbidding breath of loose intensity, he spoke in a calm and unrelenting baritone. "So, Elsa... How are the legs?"

_How are the legs?! What the fuck is wrong with you, Jack!, _he mentally scolded himself for starting the supposedly serious conversation with an awkward and misleading icebreaker. _Nice going, stupid. She's probably feeling uncomfortable now._

* * *

Perceiving his out-of-the-blue question, Elsa couldn't help but let a disconcerting tincture of vermilion creep upon her pale cheeks. Her voice hitched in her throat, desperately trying to reciprocate some convincing words without humiliating herself. Finally discovering her lost voice once again, Elsa stammered uncontrollably as a voluptuous amount of ignominious scarlet added tint to her vermilion cheeks; making her round face red as ever. "Uh...um...y-yeah. My legs? Well, they're, er, fine. Perfectly fine. Yup. It's all good."

After Elsa stuttered out quite a gauche reply to Jack's completely out-of-line question, a blanket of awkward silence enshrouded the zephyr in between the two of them. Not one dared to speak, for they didn't desire to utter words that the both of them might end up regretting. While Elsa was in sequester with the thoughts continually invading her head, Jack mustered up the courage and audacity he needed for an informative conversation with Elsa. He took a deep and shallow breath before clearing his throat for the serious words that would escape from his tongue. "Okay. First and foremost, I just wanna say I'm sorry."

"For what?" Elsa asked, her face twisted in confusion that equates with the tone of her voice. "If you're apologizing for what I think it is, then don't. There's no need for you to sympathize for that night, Jack. It wasn't your fault, neither was it mine."

"I know that, El." Jack exhaled in a point of solicitude as small white puffs of gelid air escaped his lips. "I just want to know the answers."

Elsa turned her head on the snowy ground to divert her gaze to him, her pair of ocean blue eyes softening to a very altruistic aura. She had to admit, a mutual feeling to acknowledge has been occupying her mind since. Intensely contemplating, Jack just remained silent as he breathed in the gelid winter air while observing the variously shaped clouds up high in the sky.

The pair stayed silent. Neither of them knowing the right words to reciprocate for this matter. Elsa, acknowledging that the current situation was nowhere near a smooth route, was about to excuse herself to leave. Deep down, she never wanted to leave without their friendship's closure and without the answers to her questions, but the awkward surroundings weren't making this exchange a whole lot comfortable.

As Elsa was about to speak out a mock-up excuse to escape the uncoordinated tension between them, Jack sat up from the snow and looked down at her laying stature as he spoke to break the unsettling tension.

"Everything that you said that night. Were they all true?" He breathed out, a nervous and heart-wrenching tone staining his once mischievous voice.

Elsa looked at him, her eyes tainted with doubt and indecisiveness. Frozen and speechless on the ground, she didn't know what to respond. Should she confess all her bottled up feelings for him? Or should she tell him a deceptive truth? Either way, Elsa knew that she would still have no chance.

* * *

**_Hello everybody! I would just like to sincerely apologize for not being able to update in so long... I'm so sorry. The reason behind this would be because of school and personal problems. As much as I try to write an update for my story, the things on my plate doesn't seem to lessen. Once again, I'm sorry and I hope you forgive me._**

**_Regarding the story, I decided to just cut the park date into two or three chapters. I didn't compile it into one chapter because I wanted to at least give you a little taste of what's to come in this part of the story. I will try to update soon but I'm not quite sure when I'll be able to._**

**_Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy this small chapter. I'm so sorry and, I guess I'll see you soon._**

**_Thank you! Enjoy!_**


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